Chance, The Lovers' Cookie
by kurgaya
Summary: IchiHitsu - for Valentine's Day - It started with a fortune cookie telling him not to look under the bed. He did anyway, oh come on he was curious, and what followed would certainly be the weirdest day of Toshiro Hitsugaya's life.


**Chance, The Lovers' Cookie**

I'm freaking out, where am I now?  
Upside down and I can't stop it now  
Can't stop me now, oh oh

~Alice (Underground) by Avril Lavigne

* * *

'Don't look under the bed'.

Tōshirō frowned, his thin white eyebrows dropping into thought. The crisp words of the paper said nothing more than that, and the tiny slip he was holding in his hand crumbled up soundlessly as he rolled his sharp teal eyes and screwed the note into a ball. The bubbly girl sitting beside him leaned over, her usual smile gracing her lips as she gazed curiously at spiky haired taicho.

"Was it that bad Hitsugaya-kun?" she asked, her hand sneaking across the table to where the paper ball had dropped down silently to the table and sat in the few crumbs of the fortune cookie it had been ripped from. When the other made no move to stop her she grasped the little piece of paper and un-crumpled it so that she could read the message.

"I'm sure it's no worse than the ones we have," the glasses wearing young adult said opposite, pushing said glasses further up the bride of his nose.

Inoue instead giggled and put the paper back down on the table. "I wish my fortune was as interesting as that," she whined, her own slip of paper sitting by her plate.

"There's nothing interesting about being told not to look under the bed," Tōshirō argued, picking up the remains of his green tea and taking a sip. The four of them (the fourth person being the ever so laconic Chad) had just finished their meal at the popular Chinese Place in town, The Little Dragon, after their unusual meet up. Unusual because Tōshirō was not usually around, having far more pressing matters in Soul Society to attend to, and the fact that their orange haired ray of sunshine was missing from the group. Yet there was a reason for both of these 'strange' events (so perhaps it didn't make them nearly so bizarre) for both Ichigo and Tōshirō were on a mission in Karakura (Ichigo having been dead and a permanent member of Society for quite some time now), but during this mission, for just a week Ichigo had been called away to check on something in Tokyo, leaving Tōshirō with the rising number of spirit-seeing people back in the ginger's home town.

It was a Sunday and it was February the 13th; unlucky for some, but Tōshirō didn't believe in all that superstition crap so to him it was just another day. Other people though thought this day was important, the day before Valentine's Day or something like that, but again the little taicho wasn't bothered unlike the whole of the female population of the world. Even Matsumoto was caught up in the pink and the red and the flowers and gifts and gooey-girly stuff (Heaven forbid it all) and the division fell mercy to her ways every year.

Tōshirō thanked the Heavens that this year, he would not be in Soul Society to fall victim to her.

To be honest Valentine's Day was somewhat liveable when he was spending it with his boyfriend - lover, sorry, they had been together too many years to just be boyfriends - and the main reason was the fact that they were both male.

Wasn't being gay wonderful? No insane shopping trips, no pink or purple, cute, fluffy, no waiting for ages for them to get ready in the evening, no high heels or dresses or skirts for other males to look under, no pregnancy, no mood-swings, no PMSing...

Wow, boys were simple... Or were girls just really complicated?

Hm... Girls were really complicated.

"Ah! Look at the size of it Ishida-kun!" Tōshirō turned at the amazed cry to see Inoue out of her seat and standing by the larger than life fish tank in the restaurant. He and the male she had been calling shared a look and Tōshirō shook his head as the female of the group continued gaping and gasping as the huge fish swam past her, completely uninterested.

Well, not all girls were complicated.

He smiled as Ishida pretended to look interested, and the taicho finished the last of his drink as a waiter came and collected their plates. Chad thanked the woman for them all and then asked for a bill, the lady evidentially hearing the most the part Mexican man had ever said, and Ishida beckoned his girlfriend back to her seat with a half-hearted sigh.

Love was strange.

"Are we all done then?" Inoue asked when the bill came and went, and the three males at the table nodded as one. It was when Tōshirō pushed his chair under the dark wooden table and set out to follow Ishida and Chad out of the building that Inoue grabbed his arm gently and pressed something into his palm. She smiled at his confused expression and bounded out, leaving the white haired person to stare at the slip of paper in his hand telling him not to look under the bed.

* * *

As expected he was alone when he returned to Ichigo's apartment half and hour later. Well it wasn't really Ichigo's apartment, as being dead gave him no use of having one, but during his life it _had_ been his, and so once he had died, accidentally, Soul Society decided to keep paying for the building and use it, when necessary, for any missions. So really, it wasn't Ichigo's apartment at all with other people using it from time to time, but the previous owner of the building, said ginger, still liked to think so.

Tōshirō kicked off his shoes once the door was closed and hung his keys up on the hook, slipping out of his coat and placing the menu Inoue had insisted he take home with him on the little table by the front door. The snowy cartoon rabbit on the front smiled up at him but the taicho ignored the grin and went into the kitchen. His started his daily routine with turning the kettle on, after making sure it was full, and then grabbed two mugs from the edge of the sink, dry, but quickly put one back upon realizing Ichigo wasn't home. The coffee was in a wooden container by the window, and the spoon he was going to need in the drawer beside the one that stuck, but only when he opened it.

That damn drawer hated him for some reason.

The kettle was wailing by the time he had got everything else prepared but he ignored it for a moment and reached over the counter to the shiny scarlet radio sitting there. "Damn you Ichigo," he mumbled, the radio being a lot further back then he remembered, and he had to tilt up onto his toes to hit the 'play' button as the kettle finally fell silent to his left.

Now that the music was blasting around the kitchen he felt at home, and for not the first time in his life he considered getting a radio for his office back in Soul Society, but he dismissed the idea like all the others time when the question of what Matsumoto would do if he got one. "She'd have a field day," Tōshirō grumbled, pouring hot water into the cup. "Though I could use it to wake her up."

He snorted at the mental image of deafening his fukutaicho and spilled the boiling water all over his hand. Curses bursting from his lips Tōshirō dropped the kettle and rushed over to the sink to numb his burning hand under the cold water that gushed from the tap when he turned the handle.

His hand was going to go raw red later, he knew it, turning the tap off and shaking the excess water off of his stinging hand, but he would face the music when it came and went back to his cup of coffee, picking up the kettle from the floor in the process. Said kettle smiled at him when he put it back in its place and Tōshirō glared, scooping up his black coffee and throwing the dirty spoon into the sink.

It was true, he couldn't cook, but why did the kitchen have to remind him of that every second he was in it? The drawers and utensils were nice to his lover, good old I-can-cook Ichigo, but as soon as Tōshirō got near they bared their fangs and... well...

Should he consider it to be a genetic mutation that he couldn't beat a kitchen in a fight despite his brilliant mind, or just an unfortunate weakness?

(He personally was leaning towards the genetic mutation that was obviously no fault of his own, _for it was a kitchen for God's sake, _but then he thought that maybe he was being biased towards himself. He then decided to resolve the issue by thinking about what Ichigo would say, and this resulted in him spitting out his coffee in favour of breathing deeply to fight down his blush and the growing arousal that previous thoughts had caused).

* * *

Two hours later he remembered that he had a strange fortune in his pocket. Why he hadn't thrown it away when Inoue wasn't looking he'll never know but, pulling it out of said pocket and un-crumpling it in his hands, he wondered what on earth it meant.

'Don't look under the bed'.

Obviously it was meant to intrigue the reader for it was human nature to do things that you were told not to, or Tōshirō figured anyway only having Ichigo and his friends as examples, but the level-headed taicho couldn't deny the growing feeling inside of him that nagged and nagged to find out what was under his bed. Probably nothing, he mused, for the little piece of paper had no way of connecting with someone's life, but knowing that he wasn't going to get it out of his head he stood from the sofa he was currently lounging on and walked down past the kitchen (making a note to turn off the radio) and into his and Ichigo's shared bedroom at the end of the corridor. The piece of paper was back in his pocket again, and Tōshirō flicked on the light to illuminate the pathway to the bed.

He dropped roughly to his knees once beside it and, feeling much like a small meddlesome child, he bent down to peer under the bed he had slept on every night for the past week. Pushing past the dust and the darkness his bright teal eyes scanned the small area for a moment, wondering what the hell he was doing, but it was as he moved away that a small finely decorated box caught his attention.

He pulled it out.

It took a deep breath to clear away the dust that had settled on it, and this factor told Tōshirō that the box must have been under the bed for a while, but he found it slightly odd that he had never seen the little thing before. It was nothing special and only about the size of a tissue box, but Tōshirō was intrigued and went to lift the lid.

It remained shut despite his hardest efforts, and he figured it must be either locked or stuck.

"Damn," he mumbled, his heart somewhat sinking when he spotted the keyhole in the side of the wood. "Where's the key?"

That, it appeared, was the question, and he quickly stuck his head back under the bed in search of the little bronze object that would hopefully be there. There was nothing, predictably, and with a wave of disappointment running through him he stood, yet he picked up the box as he did. He spun on the spot and flopped backwards onto the bed, holding the box out in front of him.

Why did he want to open it? Chances are it was something personal to Ichigo, or something prized, or maybe even something that he didn't want his small near-enough-a-spouse to find out about, and if it was any of the above then Tōshirō had no right to open it. But then why would Ichigo hide something from him? No shadow fell between them any more, why should this?

But what if it's not a shadow? What if it's just a box? There was no need to get worked up over something so small, he could ask Ichigo about it when he returned home. But... what if it was something Ichigo didn't want him to know about? Asking him about it would do no good - it might just make things worse. "Argh," Tōshirō said, frustrated, and he dropped the box onto the bed beside him. What should he do?

The ringing of his mobile in his pocket distracted him from his thoughts, and Tōshirō sat up and fished it out. Seeing that Ichigo was the caller he smiled and flipped open the phone.

"Hey," he said.

_"Hey yourself,"_ came Ichigo's cheery voice from the other end. _"How's everything on your end? Done anything today?"_

Tōshirō smiled. "Everything's fine over here, and I went to The Little Dragon today with some of the others."

_"Wish I had been there,"_ Ichigo grumbled. _"I love that place. My first fortune cookie told me that I was going to die young, I laughed at the time but look at me now."_

He was only teasing, Tōshirō was fairly sure, but Ichigo's words had made him falter for a moment, and the wooden box beside him suddenly seemed all that much more interesting. "My fortune today was strange," he admitted, his eyes never leaving the object in question.

_"How so?"_ Ichigo asked, puzzlement drowning his words.

"It told me not to look under the bed."

Ichigo snorted loudly and Tōshirō almost jumped. _"Let me guess, you ignored it?"_

Tōshirō felt a flush of annoyance rise onto his cheeks and he rose up to Ichigo's challenge. "No actually, I've already checked under the bed. I found a small box and - oh I'm sounding stupid."

_"No, no,"_ he heard Ichigo urge him on. _"Go on, you can't just leave me hanging. What was in the box?"_

"I don't know," said Tōshirō, wishing he did, and he thanked whoever was out there listening that the box had obviously not been private to his lover. "It's locked and I haven't gone looking for the key yet, it could be anywhere."

Ichigo clicked his tongue. _"Try the key hooks at the front door, that's the only place I'd put keys. If it's not there I don't know where it is."_

"Alright," said Tōshirō, nodding. "I'll - "

_"Oh isn't it adorable?"_ Ichigo cut in, sounding much like Matsumoto. _"The little dragon's on a hunt to find his treasure! It's like something out of a story."_ And before Tōshirō could growl and insult him for his childish language he added, _"Oh sorry Tōshirō, gotta run, a Hollow's just come into range. I'm coming home tomorrow so I'll see you then!"_

And then he hung up, leaving Tōshirō with a blush, a frown, and an un-openable box sitting beside him on the bed.

A _really_ un-openable box Tōshirō concluded those few minutes later, now sitting downstairs in the kitchen, after having gone and collected all the keys on the hooks and tried them all out in the box's keyhole. None of them had worked and, Ichigo's words ringing in his head, the genius wondered what he was going to do now. The radio was still playing and Tōshirō wished it would just shut up, but he didn't have the energy (well ok, maybe he did) to get up and turn it off, for the whole of his focus was on the little object staring at him sitting on the table.

"You must have a key," Tōshirō mused, tapping the box as if he hoped it would shout him the answer. "But where is it?" He sighed and stood, running the non-burnt hand through his spiky hair, and decided to make himself a cup of coffee. He wandered over to the kettle and switched it on, and then reached over to the finished washing-up and picked up the cup he had used last time. The container of coffee hadn't moved from its position, but he now needed to a spoon as the water began to boil, so he opened up the drawer. It was when he grabbed a shiny teaspoon, however, that something caught his eye.

There was a thin piece of red string with a golden key attached sitting in the bottom of the drawer.

Hope bubbled up inside of him, he slowly put the spoon down lest he ended up throwing it into the air in excitement and, not daring to believe his luck, the prodigy scooped up the key and string and then glanced over at the box sitting patiently on the table as the kettle screeched. "No way," he said, the key dangling from his hand, and he shook his head.

But he checked anyway, only to find that the key fit perfectly in the keyhole.

Tōshirō smiled and turned the key, hearing a tiny 'click' as the gears let the lock spring open. His teal eyes shone in anticipation as he lifted the delicate lid; a strange, childish feeling deep down inside of him stirred like Hyorinmaru from his sleep, and once the lid was completely open he reached inside and picked up the single piece of paper that was sitting in the bottom.

A piece of paper, he realized, that reminded him solely of the fortune he had gotten today at the Chinese, especially when he unfolded it to read a neatly typed message in solid black ink:

'I thought I told you not to look under the bed.'

Pride forgotten, Tōshirō's mouth dropped open.

'Oh well' the message read on, 'You wanna play a game? I'm two thousand and eleven years old and I led her down the hole. Tic, toc, tic, toc. See if you can find me.'

There was a little smiley face drawn at the end of the message, and Tōshirō had to reach out and grasp the back of the chair to stop himself from collapsing. It wasn't possible... The two messages were linked together! It had been a fortune cookie! In a restaurant! They couldn't possibly be connected! A fortune cookie cannot know what a person will do - it cannot connect to someone's life! It - it wasn't right! Impossible!

Tōshirō sank to his knees and pressed his face against the seat of the chair to stop himself from passing out. The last time he had been this shocked was when Ichigo had confessed to him. The paper in his grip shook along with his hands, and the taicho shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

**Calm little one**, soothed Hyorinmaru's voice, the mighty dragon mentally wrapping his wings around his master in an embrace. Tōshirō slumped into the gentle feeling sighing. "What's going on Hyorinmaru?" he asked aloud.

**I do not know**, replied the dragon honestly. **But I do not think any harm will come from this.**

Tōshirō opened his eyes to stare at the dirt and filth on the chair. _How can you be sure?_ he whispered mentally to the other.

Hyorinmaru loosened his embrace. **I cannot be**, he said, **but you could call it a gut feeling.**

The taicho nodded, feeling Hyorinmaru's certainty through their link. _Alright_, he said. _Alright. But what about the message?_

A chuckle was what he got in response. **A little child once told me he was good at riddles. Can you guess who he was?**

Not being able to help it, Tōshirō felt a smile creeping its way onto his face. He lifted his face away from the chair and gradually stood, replying,_ Me Hyorinmaru, that boy was me._

**_Is_ you, little one, not was.**

Tōshirō 'hmm'ed in response and put the piece of paper onto the table beside the open box. Suddenly remembering that he had boiled the kettle a few moments ago he trekked across the kitchen and prepared the drink, this time making sure to be careful when pouring the kettle. His hand was still red and raw and he wondered if maybe he should put a bandage on it but he didn't, putting the kettle back into place and finally turning the radio off. Steaming drink in hand he slipped into a seat at the table and picked up the message again.

Hyorinmaru was correct. He did like riddles.

He re-read the words for the next ten minutes, different situations and answers fluttering through his brain, but nothing really stood out to him. The message was so vague, it could probably be anything. Well, not anything, something that was over two thousand years old and led someone somewhere. A ghost maybe? A spirit? But two thousand and eleven was very precise, so it must have a meaning. And how could you lead a girl down a hole? "Pretty big hole," Tōshirō mumbled, sipping his coffee. "Or pretty small girl. And 'tic, toc'?" That obviously was meant to represent a clock. But how did a clock and leading a girl down a hole fit together?

Tōshirō chewed his bottom lip. Two thousand and eleven. What was two thousand and eleven years old?

...The date?

The cup paused halfway to his lips. It was the year 2011! So the date was a part of this riddle; the taicho smiled, happy that he was part of the way there. Next question then; who was led down the hole?

In the year 2011? "Why 2011?" Tōshirō mumbled aloud. "The year's only just started so nothing - Chinese New Year!" he shouted suddenly, and that moment was when he knew. "It's the year of the rabbit, and _Alice_ was led down a hole with a rabbit with a pocket watch in Alice in Wonderland!" He smacked his cup down onto the table and shot up from his seat, mentally thanking Ichigo for letting him borrow that book recently, and hurried out into the hallway where the Chinese menu was sitting, unmoved from where it had been dumped onto the table a few hours before.

He picked it up and speak of the little fluffy devil, there was the white rabbit on the back of The Little Dragon restaurant menu.

...So what next?

He stared at the rabbit for a while, hoping that some sort of clue would pop out at him, but nothing did. Confused, he flipped the menu over and then back again. It was just an ordinary menu.

"There's got to be more than this," he said to himself, certainly hoping that the hunt hadn't ended yet. His small hands peeled open the flaps to reveal the rest of the menu but all he could see was the lists upon lists of food and drink. The head of the intelligence squad figured he _must_ be missing something so, as tedious as it was, he closed the menu and started reading through it from the beginning. And it was just after he had read the words 'King Prawns' that he noticed the tiny little message written in the standard neat black text the menu had at the bottom; but this message certainly wasn't part of the menu;

'It's good to know you're the right Alice, or the right Tōshirō I guess. Anyway, you ready for the next clue? Go and talk to Aslan if you have the balls. Got it? Off you go then, you've got until four o'clock!'

After reading the message Tōshirō glanced at the nearest clock. It was three-thirty-five. That wasn't good, it meant he only had twenty-five minutes until something happened.

He shook his head, putting down the menu onto the table again. He was being stupid, there's no way this is possible; he must be dreaming. How could someone possibly know what time he would work out the clue? And what was the clue doing on the front of a menu in the first place? To anybody else that message would have meant nothing, but not to him, and that means someone must have none he would have been at the Chinese today.

This whole thing was insane.

...So why was he playing along?

**Because you want to?** Hyorinmaru asked merrily. **And anyway, aren't you having fun?**

The taicho grumbled something inaudible to the dragon but the majestic beast got the message anyway and chuckled, once again returning to the deeper part of Tōshirō's mind now that his thoughts had been voiced. Tōshirō, in turn, looked back down at the message on the menu and began to ponder of who the hell 'Aslan' was meant to be.

* * *

Thank god for Google, was what Tōshirō was thinking about ten minutes later as the internet loaded up on the computer screen. The computer belonged to Ichigo, well it was actually a laptop but he guessed it made no difference, and the password wasn't exactly hard to figure out. After pacing the hallway for a matter of minutes Tōshirō had given up on trying to work out who 'Aslan' was, for the life of him he could say he had never actually encountered something or someone with such a name before, and so he had retreated to the living room where the laptop was currently placed.

Google, it appears, had answers to everything.

He was somewhat pleased to find that 'Aslan' wasn't complete nonsense that had sprouted from somebody's mouth randomly for he got fourteen million results with his search. He clicked the top one and he could honestly say he was fairly surprised with what he got.

Aslan was a_ talking lion_.

_A fictional talking lion_ (which he guessed wasn't surprising) but really, how the _heck_ was he meant to go and talk to him?

He groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Ok, think about this logically. Obviously you're not meant to actually go and talk to Aslan, so it must be metaphorically. But who is the same as Aslan?"

**What about the yellow stuffed animal that lives in the chest of drawers in the bedroom?** asked Hyorinmaru, rather hesitantly, and Tōshirō almost paled.

_I'm not talking to the annoying debauchee_, he replied, practically spitting the last word. _He may be 'interested' in women, but he has no morals against sexually stalking men!_

Solely one Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Hyorinmaru growled at the reminder. **He won't do anything inappropriate lest he wants me to eat him.**

Tōshirō smiled at the protective words but shook his head. _No, I'm sure there's someone else I'm meant to talk to. But if I do end up having to talk to the annoying beast then I give you permission to tear his head you if you wish. I'm sure Ichigo'll pleased._

**If the lion touches you, or even looks at you in the wrong way, I'm sure Ichigo'll tear his head off anyway. That'll be a sight to see, no? And what about that black transsexual cat?**

Tōshirō couldn't deny how angry Ichigo would be at Kon, but the mention of Yoruichi confused him. _I think Yoruichi-san would find it hilarious that I have a stuffed animal stalker,_ he replied honestly, and he logged off of the computer and shut it down as Hyorinmaru said, **That she would, but that's not what I meant. She's a talking feline.**

Realization swelled up inside the taicho and he smiled, standing from his chair and heading out of the room. _Now why didn't I think of that? Thank you Hyorinmaru._

**You're welcome little one.**

Tōshirō nodded and slipped on his shoes and coat, now standing by the front door. He grabbed his keys and stuffed them into his pocket as he said, _And Yoruichi's not a transsexual._

Hyorinmaru snorted. **Could've fooled me.**

* * *

It was ten to four by the time Urahara opened the door for him at his shop, and Tōshirō cut right to the chase in asking where the purple haired cat was. The grinning man behind the fan did just that, much to the taicho's annoyance, but led Tōshirō to the little tea room in the back, albeit slowly, without any questions. Not that Tōshirō had expected any questions because in all honesty the blonde haired man seemed to know everything anyway. But still, wandering through the shop behind the man, the white haired ice master got the impression that... no...

It was almost like Urahara had been awaiting him.

But Tōshirō didn't dwell on that factor for Yoruichi's bright eyes glanced up at him as he sat down opposite her at the table, a cup of tea already set out for him. Urahara didn't join them, muttering something about having to check something in the back, but Tōshirō didn't care, for the clue had lead him to Yoruichi and not her partner.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, finished off her own tea.

"Aslan," Tōshirō blurted before he understood how stupid he sounded, and Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise before she promptly erupted into a laughing fit on the floor.

Tōshirō scowled and crossed his arms impatiently as the woman's laughs echoed around the room. "I'm not here to listen to you laugh Yoruichi-san," he said firmly. "Do you know anything about Aslan?"

Yoruichi wiped a tear away from her eye, fixing him with a very foxy look. "Nope," she said, somewhat slyly as she sat up. "Never heard of this 'Aslan' thing. What is it?"

Tōshirō decided telling her that Aslan was a talking lion would not do any good for his reputation so he kept his frowning mouth shut. "Nothing?" he asked her, referring to what she knew. "At all?"

The woman actually looked thoughtful for a moment, but her eyes were teasing and Tōshirō knew there was nothing for her to think about; she really didn't know. That meant he would probably have to go and talk to that bloody lion in the drawers back in the apartment, but it was probably about five to four now and he was running out of time. There was no possible way he could get back and talk to Kon in the space of five minutes, not that he really wanted to, but he had to admit he had been fairly surprised when Yoruichi didn't know what he was talking about.

He guessed it just made this puzzle that whole lot harder.

"Nah," said Yoruichi. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But if that's all you came for then could you do me a favour?"

Teal eyes rolled, and the shinigami felt like he had just fallen into a trap. "What?"

Yoruichi reached behind her and picked something up, that something ended up being a football Tōshirō quickly found out when she threw it at him. He caught it with ease and stared at her. "This is Karin's," the woman continued. "She may be a teenager now but she still loves her football - crazy sport. Still, she left that here," she indicated to the black and white ball in the taicho's hands, "and since you're more likely to see her than I am could you give it back to her?"

Tōshirō blinked, the whole situation seeming kind of odd. Hadn't the clue been something like, 'Go and talk to Aslan if you have the balls'? It couldn't seriously mean -

And that, Fate would have it, was when the door slid open to reveal a teenage Karin standing in the doorway. Her long black hair was tied up in a plait which she brushed over the back of her shoulder as her dark eyes scanned the room and settled on Tōshirō. She frowned and jumped forward, her black trainers landing heavily on the wooden floor, and just when the short taicho looking up at her was about to ask what she was doing, she reached down and snatched the football away in a very childish manner.

"I never thought you would've had the balls Tōshirō," she snapped, glaring daggers down at the wincing, gaping male. Yoruichi laughed loudly opposite them and Tōshirō spluttered. "I didn't take it!" he cried, standing up to his unsatisfactory height of four, four, and Karin towered over him at her complete height of five, six, a murderous expression on her face.

"Well if you didn't take it," she argued, "then why did you have it?"

Now Tōshirō was no tell-tale so he just grunted an answer and folded his arms, looking away from the smirking face on the teenager standing beside him. "It's alright Tōshirō," said Karin, and she held out her hand in a simple peace offering. "I know you didn't take it, I'm only teasing. But if you want to make up for it, how about we go to the pitch and have a game?"

"What? But - "

"Great!" said Karin, and she grabbed Tōshirō's hand and dragged him out of the shop leaving Yoruichi chuckling behind them.

* * *

The golden setting sun found Tōshirō and Karin a few hours later at the football pitch where they had played their first game together, and Karin flopped to the ground in defeat, breathing hard, as the taicho jogged over to the goal he had just kicked the football into. "Are you sure you haven't had any practice?" Karin asked as he came over. "You're insanely good."

Tōshirō gave a ghost of a smile and sat down opposite her, rolling the football over to its owner. "I guess it just comes with being a shinigami."

"Nah," Karin said, shaking her head. "I reckon it's just you; I doubt Renji would be any good at this game, or Ikkaku. Renji would trip over the ball and Ikkaku would probably kill someone with it."

Tōshirō snorted at the image. "True, true. You've gotten better also, even with all the studies you must be taking."

Karin groaned at the reminder of school and let herself fall back into the dirt. "I hate school - too much work."

"I know what you mean," said the other, and he looked out towards the sun filling the sky. "I didn't enjoy the Shino Academy, mind you, that's probably for a different reason."

Karin looked over curiously but remained silent, having never heard of Tōshirō, or any other shinigami having to attend a school before. The young taicho looked saddened for some reason and Karin bit her lip, wondering if she should change the subject. Yet her curiosity won over and she asked, somewhat hesitantly, "The Shinō Academy?"

White hair bobbed down into a nod. "The Shinōreijutsuin (Spiritual Arts Academy)," he said in agreement. "Souls with high spiritual energy have to go there before coming shinigami. There's an entrance exam that you have to pass before that though, and that's open to everybody. Once through that you're split into classes depending on the grade you scored, and then you have six years of learning ahead of you."

Karin whistled. "Sounds like fun."

Unsure whether or not she was being sarcastic, Tōshirō continued. "After six years of being trained up you have to either apply to a division in the Gotei 13, the Kido Corps, or Onmitsukido. Of course, people graduate early - "

" - like you - "

" - like me." There was a hefty pause and Tōshirō, uncharacteristically, bend his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. Karin watched with confusion as he let out a deep sigh and rest his head sideways on his knees so that he was still looking at her. "I hate being a genius sometimes."

The young Kurosaki didn't know what to say in response to that so she stayed quiet and let the sweet silent of dusk fill the space.

It was broken, however, when a quiet rumble erupted from Tōshirō's stomach. The taicho blushed and averted his eyes as Karin giggled. "Have you not eaten?" she asked, concerned. "Sorry if I kept you away from your dinner."

Tōshirō waved it off. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I only really eat when people make me anyway so I'll be ok."

Karin frowned at that. "Well maybe you should go home and eat," she said, sounding much like Matsumoto all of a sudden. "But don't forget to look under the table."

Tōshirō blinked, freezing in his attempt to rise to his feet. "Check under the table?" he asked curiously.

The girl gasped teasingly. "Oh come on, you must have had the whole 'chewing gum stuck to the bottom of the table' thing at the Academy! It's like, a factor of school!" She carried on looking at him in disbelief as he finally rose to his feet, dusting off his trousers. "You do know what chewing gum is, don't you?"

"Haven't got a clue," said the other. "But I can pretty much guess it's something disgusting that I don't want to be touching."

The black haired girl nodded and got to her feet also, kicking up the football in one swift motion and catching it in her hands. "You're right on that one. Now go on, shoo, and go and get something to eat or I'll tell Ichi-nii you've been starving yourself!"

"Threatening me are we?" Tōshirō asked, but nevertheless they began to walk.

Karin chuckled and nodded her head. "Damn straight I am."

They soon reached the point where they would be taking separate paths in a comfortable quiet, and Karin looked up at the sky to see the last of the sun had almost disappeared. "I better get back," she said, and Tōshirō nodded once. Karin's dark eyes smiled at his teal, and before he could react she had patted his hair in a sisterly fashion and run off in the other direction, waving her hand over her head in dismissal.

"Girls," Tōshirō sighed, rolling his eyes as he set off.

There was nobody to greet him once he got back, Kon was obviously still stuck in the drawer he had been put in some weeks ago after an embarrassing incident, and Tōshirō slipped off his shoes humming a tune to himself happily as he hung up his keys and switched on the hall light. Immediately the house looked more inviting and the figure wandered into the kitchen. Per normal he started his daily routine with turning the kettle on, after making sure it was full, and then grabbed two mugs from the edge of the sink, dry, but quickly put one back upon realizing Ichigo wasn't home, still. He then leaned over the counter and turned on the radio, opened the fridge, pulled a face of disgust at realizing how little food there was, shut it, and then opened the freezer below.

There was nothing to eat.

He slammed the freezer door shut and listened to the kettle scream at him from across the kitchen. Suddenly not wanting a coffee he ignored it and went to sit at the table, reaching over and picking up the book that was sitting there. He smiled at the title, Alice's Adventure's In Wonderland, and the shocking connection to the message he had received earlier in the box reminded him of the clue he had gotten earlier.

'Go and talk to Aslan if you have the balls'.

He frowned. "Where's the next clue?" he asked himself and, stupidly, he looked around the kitchen in hope that something would jump out at him. It was well past four oclock but nothing seemed to have happened; ok, he had met Yoruichi, gotten a football off of her and talked to Karin but -

Unless something they had said was the next clue. Finding bits of paper was too easy anyway.

Tōshirō put down the book and leant back in his chair, staring at the blank wall.

'But don't forget to look under the table' was the only thing that stood out to him, and Karin had said that but minutes ago. She had been talking about chewing gum at the time though... now that he thought about it he only found that out once he asked what she meant. Maybe the chewing gum conversation was just a cover up? But then... How did Karin come into all of this?

**Why don't you humour her?** Hyorinmaru asked.

_Humour her Hyorinmaru? What do you mean? She's not here to humour._

The dragon inside his inner world actually sighed in an annoyed fashion, and Tōshirō felt his eyebrows rise. _Was it something I said Hyorinmaru?_

**No, no, not at all. Just look under the table.**

Though thoroughly confused, Tōshirō kicked back his chair, knelt down on the floor, and peered under the table. He felt incredibly stupid as he shifted himself so that he was lying flat on his back with his legs sticking out, but, would you believe it, there was a note stuck to the underside of the table. He shut out the pounding laughter of his zanpakuto and reached up and pulled the piece of paper from the wood. Thankfully it was stuck on with cellotape and not chewing gum, and even with the table top blocking out most of the light he could still read the short scruffy message written with a hand he knew oh so well.

'Meet me at The Little Dragon tomorrow at 2 o'clock. With Love, Ichigo.'

* * *

Today the restaurant was pink, but only a little bit. Tōshirō guessed it was ok, considering some of the other places he had passed to get here looked just plain awful (pink, pink, too much pink!) and so when one of the staff opened the door for him with a smile, making sure not to trip on the pink (what a surprise) balloons tied to the floor, Tōshirō was happy that he did not feel like he had just entered someone's womb. The time was just gone two in the afternoon and, after standing outside for ten minutes looking like a lost puppy, Tōshirō had ventured inside with a furious blush on his face. The woman who had opened the door for him made no comment about it, and quietly asked for his name.

When he told her she brightened up in a way that made the taicho cautious - _she knows something I don't_ - and she skipped off, almost literally, with him following in her footsteps. A few of the other couples and customers looked on with puzzlement and some of them, mainly the woman, smiled sweetly in his direction just like the waiter had before. However before he could ask what the hell was on his face the waiter pulled out a seat for him at one of the table beside the huge glass windows. Tōshirō sat obediently, and it was only once she had taken his drink order that he looked over at the grinning moron opposite.

"What's got you so flustered?" Ichigo asked, sipping a glass of water.

The blush on the pale face deepened. "Some lady handed me a chocolate while I was outside and wished me a happy Valentine's Day; she said the chocolate was for luck or something."

Ichigo laughed and Tōshirō smiled too, feeling all of his troubles melt away. All but one, it seemed. "How did you do it?" he asked, thanking the merry waiter when she returned with his drink.

"Do what?" Ichigo replied innocently. "And the buffet's waiting for whenever you're ready."

"Don't change the subject, I want to know how you did that fortune cookie thing."

Ichigo's soft - nervous? - eyes brightened. "Ah," he said, sounding thoughtful. "That's for me to know and for you to not find out. Now come on, you want lunch?"

Tōshirō let the subject drop feeling his stomach rumble (he had missed breakfast), and he allowed Ichigo to guide him to the buffet, despite him being here only yesterday and knowing exactly where it was.

The next hour passed steadily, for Tōshirō anyway, for by the time they had finished dessert and had opened a bottle of white wine, Ichigo was looking a tad shaky; not pale, not sick, just... Well, Tōshirō wasn't sure because the last time Ichigo had looked like that was when he asked -

"Here," Ichigo said, his voice surprisingly level, and he gently threw his lover a fortune cookie, evidently cutting him from his musings. Tōshirō caught it without thought and snapped it open, just as Ichigo opened his. When he looked back on this day many years later the white haired taicho could only wonder how he didn't notice the acute still in the atmosphere and how, suddenly, the whole world seemed to revolve around this one, stupid little fortune cookie moment.

He gasped when something small and shiny fell out of the cookie and bounced to the floor, not used to having anything but paper inside the crumbly substance, and he quickly picked it up in his embarrassment. In his confusion he did not notice Ichigo watching him closely, nor did he notice the fact that the cold circular item in his grip was actually a silver ring, but he did notice, to his defence, that the piece of standard paper lying surrounded by cookie crumbs read one very spellbinding message. Mouth dropping open and teal eyes widening he looked up at Ichigo, whose flustered agitation was abruptly explained, and he could only stare as large hands reached for his own.

That one pleasant touch was enough; a spark almost, and the usually collected taicho jumped from his seat, accidentally knocking over the wine bottle in his haste, and grabbed Ichigo's collar to pull him into a compassionate kiss, the resplendent dragon shaped engagement ring still firmly held within it's owner's grasp.

* * *

******Happy Valentine's Day (again)! This was a wonderful and cheesy story to write, and I loved every moment of it, even though it did just keep getting longer... This is my second longest oneshot now, the first being Downtown Downfall, but at least this one wasn't nearly as depressing; no one died being a big plus here. You know, I'm still procrastinating TOHH and I really, really shouldn't...**

******And yes, I know homosexual marriage is not legal in Japan, but it's a story. And you know, you can actually consider this story a really loose and late sequel to 'His Lover' if you want... I guess it fits...**


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